Ddarungi Reaches 200 Million Cumulative Uses... 120,000 Daily Rides

Daily Usage Count, 298 Times Higher Compared to 2010

Since the introduction of Seoul's public bicycle system, Ddareungi, in 2010, it has been used nearly 200 million times. The average daily usage has increased 298 times compared to the early days, reaching 120,000 rides per day.

Seoul City announced the results of an analysis on Ddareungi usage demand conducted with the Seoul Institute on the 24th, ahead of the 15th anniversary of its introduction. Ddareungi was inspired by the Canadian public bicycle system 'BIXI' by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, starting with a pilot introduction of 440 bicycles in 2010 and officially operating from 2015.

First, the cumulative usage of Ddareungi over 15 years until last month was approximately 190 million rides. Based on the resident registration population in the first quarter of this year, this means that each Seoul citizen used Ddareungi about 20 times on average. The average daily usage of Ddareungi also increased 298 times from 413 rides in 2010 to 120,000 rides last year.

The number of Ddareungi bicycles in operation also increased significantly. From 440 bicycles during the pilot operation in 2010, the number rose to 45,000 this year, a 102-fold increase. The number of Ddareungi rental stations expanded from 44 to 2,700 during the same period.

Over the past five years, the usage of Ddareungi during the winter months (January to April) increased 3.5 times, from 3.34 million rides in 2019 to 11.77 million rides in 2023. Based on this, the city analyzed that Ddareungi is establishing itself not just as a leisure activity but as a transportation means for daily mobility.

Usage on both weekdays and weekends also increased. Compared to 2019, weekday usage in 2023 increased 2.5 times, and weekend usage increased 2.1 times. By time of day, usage during weekday commuting hours, from 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., increased compared to 2019.

The city is also focusing on diversifying the public bicycle business to promote Ddareungi and respond to carbon reduction. Since January, the pilot operation of the Climate Companion Card allows unlimited use of Ddareungi in connection with public transportation. Additionally, the number of recycled bicycle parts has increased from four to seven types.

Jung Yeowon, head of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Division of Seoul City, said, "Based on the analysis of the past 15 years of operation, we will continuously advance the Ddareungi system and policies," and added, "We hope everyone will participate in promoting the use of the eco-friendly transportation Ddareungi to achieve the 2050 'carbon-neutral city' goal."